Groomer's Delight

Having a pet usually requires some type of grooming. The amount depends on the breed and what the parents can do themselves. With our Chase its pretty low maintenance. We brush him, trim his nails and give him a bath at home. No problems and he gets a treat afterward. Rosita is a very different story. She is so very fluffy and runs to her kennel if I approach the basket containing her brush. Then if we do trick her into a brushable position she'll try and nip or roll on her back.

As a good mother I always warn the groomer. "You may want to muzzle her. She hates to having her nails trimmed." One groomer I must not have warned well enough, because I was lectured after Rosita nipped at her pretty good. Needless to say we didn't go back there, even though the lady said she would try it again.

Then we've tried the PetsMart route but we just didn't have good luck, and that didn't have to do with Rosita's attitude. As we found another groomer they kept telling us that Rosita was getting better and they just had to be careful around the hindquarters. She may have been improving there but was definitely not at home; whenever I could pin her down for a brushing I would get a whole dog in fur and a lot of sass.

This past week and on a couple of Saturdays I've been going in to observe and learn how to groom at Pampered Pets. I had lamented how tough Rosita was to groom, her nails were dreaded and brushing was a special skill. Well, I know that when pet parents hang around during grooming the dog usually get anxious and acts up a bit. So it is better if they leave while the professionals go to work. But I wanted to learn and no one better to practice on than my own spoiled pet. As soon as I put Rosita on the grooming table we went to town brushing with nothing but a big smile from her. Granted, I had to hold her tight while we clipped the nails but it was miraculous. No blood shed, all appendages in tact and she was still wagging her tail.

The moral of this story is leave grooming to the professionals and don't forget to tip your doggie stylist this holiday season.